An Assassin's Dream
by merxoxo
Summary: A mysterious race is discovered when two American students transfer to Karakura, claiming that they are here to investigate. This soon leading to Aizen, the two students join Ichigo to defeat him and find that they have a past with HM and the espadas.IDOB
1. Chapter 1

The Assassin's Dream

Chapter 1

The music was loud- almost to a point of being unbearable- but the presence of the lead singer in front of the crowd was enough for them to ignore the gradual ringing in their ears. She was mesmerizing; and had every man's attention, but she only dared to look at one teenage gentleman in the crowd, the infamous assassin, Ryan Bordeux. He watched on, leaning on the rough cement wall towards to back of the music venue, and a small smirk played at his lips while he watched the young woman belt out her trials and tribunes through the electronic dance music her group was known for. He was drawn out of his gaze when he felt a slight vibration in the front pocket of his jeans. He withdrew his cell phone and sighed when he realized his small effort of pulling his cell phone out was only for a possible pointless text message. He absently checked who the message was sent from and drew a strong intake of breath when he saw the name. A shaky thumb pressed the 'OK' button to open up the message.

_Ryan,_

_I must speak with you immediately. Please bring Elle along._

_-Commander Thomas_

The band was finally ending their final act of the night and the young female lead singer bounced off the front stage towards the boy she saw lustfully staring her down throughout her show. She mindlessly dismissed all the 'great job' and 'you go girl' comments coming from the adoring audience and continued on her journey to the back of the club. Her smile slowly drifted from her face as she saw the state the young man was in. His face had shifted from the one he held earlier to another of upmost worry, him failing to notice the girl who had popped up in front of his face.

"Ryan? Is everything alright?" She asked, expressing her empathy for the worrisome boy and laid her hand on his upper arm as a sign of her comfort and understanding- an attempt to get him to speak. The boy shifted his gaze so his eyes were at dead lock with the girl's in front of him.

"I got a text from Commander Thomas saying I need to speak with him immediately." He sighed, contemplating on how he would phrase the next part. It wasn't everyday that the commander would want to see the rouge assassin, Elle, and that only meant that Ryan was faced with another strong force of foreboding. The young woman continued to stare curiously at the boy, encouraging him to continue. "Elle, it seems that he wants you to come along as well."

Elle looked at him with astoundment. It has nearly been a year since she left her destiny as an assassin to be in a dance pop group. She argued that the group had actually a chance to make it big and they were nearly there- finally catching the attention of some LA agents and music producers. Catching and destroying soulless demons was not what she wanted to do her entire lifetime, let along her teenage years- the ones that were supposedly the best of someones life. Now her almost forgotten past was there beckoning for her return. "W-why?" She managed to sputter the one word that escaped her lips. Her shock was no more lessened when Ryan sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in towards him. She clinched the front of his Ralph Lauren polo shirt and laid her forehead against his broad chest. "I don't understand. He said nothing when I left and now- now he wants to speak with me?" Her words didn't make her feel any better and she shook her head and backed away from Ryan. "No. I'm not going."

Ryan only met her eyes with disdain, fretting over what he would have to tell her. "Elle, you know you have no choice. You are still a part of us even though you left. You are the infinite prodigy- an important piece to the assassins. Did you really think that they were going to leave you alone?"

The infinite prodigy- words she did not want to hear. Born with the mark of infinity on her lower right abdomen. That mark decided her destiny before she was able to comprehend words. She became the trump card; the one who will "save the world." His plea was returned with a snarl and her eyes narrowed at his betraying allegiance. "And did you think that I wanted this? That I had the choice? You're so naive." With that, she turned her back on him and started to make her leave towards backstage, but she was stopped by a sharp grasp on her wrist. "Let go." She clenched her teeth and tried to release the hold, but failed in the battle of brute strength. His power mirrored hers. It was only natural since he was so well-known- getting the occasional "let's go to lunch" or "lakers tickets, u in?" from people such as Zac Efron and Chris Pine. Ryan was a born celebrity. The American people relished the assassins, thanking them on many occasions for their ruthlessness and selflessness in killing off the demons that threatened their safety. She turned back to him, surrendering, knowing that there was only one end to this. She was going to see the commander, whether she liked it or not. She put a hand on her hip and feigned annoyance. "Are we going or not?" She let her hair fall along her back from the position it laid on her shoulder as she swept away in pursuit of the door, leaving a bewildered Ryan forced to follow in a path laid in fury.

The two teenagers stepped within the conference room, looking much dimmer at night than at the usual day meetings that were held. A stout man sat at the end of a large desk, his head resting in his palm, as he sifted through papers filled with statistics and observations. When he felt the presence of two familiar persons approach, he slowly lifted his forehead off his hand and smiled with obvious exhaustion at the two before him. He stood and strode over to the two, extending his hand to Ryan who took it in his and slightly bowed to the greater presence. He nodded in acknowledgement and moved over to Elle. His smile brightened as he took in the presence of the girl before him.

"Well, it's been a long while, hasn't it?" He asked, as he extended his hand out to the girl.

She hesitantly took it and replied with a mock statement of sarcasm. "Not long enough." Once she withdrew, she slinked back into a position of annoyance as the man sat back down at the desk before them.

Ryan was the first to speak after the man was back at his desk. "Commander, may I ask what you have asked us here for?"

The commander straightened in his chair and looked at the boy standing tall in front of him. "Ah, yes. You see, I have located the warped presence we have become aware of. I am going to send a duo team out to assimilate into the environment and investigate the cause of the recent chaos. Seeing that you two are my most capable warriors, I would like to send you out to investigate. That won't be two much of a problem will it?"

Ryan nodded towards the commander and glanced at an annoyed Elle before replying. "Of course not. Where, may I ask, is this strange presence coming from?"

The commander sifted through the papers again, searching for something. "Ah, here it is." He looked harder at the paper and drew it closer to his piercing gaze. "The location you will investigate is located in Japan. Karakura Town, Japan, specifically."

"Karakura town? I have never heard of such a pathetic place in my lifetime. Why can't we go somewhere more fascinating, like France or Rome, since I obviously have no choice on the-" Elle's complaint was ended with a sharp elbow to the side. She spun to fire a punch back at Ryan, but was stopped when he saw the look of authority resting in his eyes. "You fool," she spat. "Whenever did you think you owned authority over me? You really think you have power? What lies have these people been feeding you?"

Ryan stared at her shocked. "I-," he stammered, completely lost for words.

"Enough!" It was in turn the commander speaking up. "Last time I checked, you had left this association, making Ryan superior to you, and I'm not sure of your awareness to his promotion-"

"Promotion," Elle seethed. "You received a promotion, and you have the audacity to not inform me of it? Real honorable, Ryan. Obviously you have no confidence in your skills. Some things never change." Her fists were now curled up into tight balls, her skin glowing with white, red, blood-shot, lines threatening to rise to the surface. She turned- she would have no part of this- and left towards the door. A strong grip to her shoulder caused her to stop, almost tripping over her feet in the process.

The commander displayed no emotion to the back of the girl. He could almost see steam elevating from the furious girl, her rage flowing throughout her blood. He spoke. "I'm sorry, Miss Cristiano, but I do believe that, even though you self-proclaimed separation from us, still have no choice in the matter. You will depart, with Ryan as your escort, to investigate Karakura Town. Do you understand me?" Nothing came from the girl. The commander took this as a notion to continue. "The captains and I have been researching the area to see if there were any presences that resembled our assassin race. We found these "soul reapers"- odd spiritual entities that are in fact human but do not reside in a living human body. They ward off creatures, much like the demons here, called hollows. Be very wary of these so called soul reapers. They might have a part in this warped vision I've been sensing." He paused and smiled at the two assassins standing, slouching at exhaustion from the late night meeting. "Very well then, you two should be on your way. Good luck in Japan, and return to the U.S. not too beat up." With that, he smiled, and sent the two on the long and brutal journey that laid before them.


	2. Chapter 2

An Assassin's Dream

Chapter 2

It was so far a normal day at Karakura. Ichigo was woken up by his hyperactive dad, causing the entire family to fall into hysteria. Rukia only stood to the side and watched the exploding men bantering about fighting skills and "acting your own age." These constant episodes eventually came natural to her as she cherished the raucous behavior coming from the Kurosaki family. It was the perfect substitute to wake her up from that monstrosity of a beverage, coffee. It has been only a couple of months since that night, when Rukia, the soul reaper, showed up in Ichigo's bedroom, a moment that decided his fate. Everything since then has fallen into routine. School and fighting hollows became a daily activity of the duo, along with Ichigo's Quiny friend, Uryu. The two violent Kurosaki men eventually began to calm down, enough for them to be able to eat breakfast without someone requiring medical attention. Ichigo left the table, beginning to gripe about heading to another day of boring high school, leaving Rukia to follow behind his hurried pace. For some reason, Rukia felt like this wasn't going to be an ordinary day.

Elle stood in front of the full length mirror, checking out the image that was reflected right back to her. She looked at herself and muttered how uniforms were so disgusting. Leaning forward, she took one last check of her makeup, when Ryan came through the door.

"Elle, if we don't leave now, we're going to be late." He leaned against the door hedge and took in the petite girl before him, trying to wear the school uniform as risque as possible. "By the way, I would tone down on trying to look like a catholic school girl. I don't want any troublesome teenage boys trying to get their hands on you."

Elle smirked at his warning and left the mirror to approach the young man leaning against her door. "Jealous much? Please don't get into too many fights, at least for my sake." She put on her best innocent face as she tugged the hem of her skirt down, now covering a necessary amount of her long legs.

Ryan laughed as he pulled her closer and fastened another button on her uniform shirt. "It's not me I'm worried about, it's you. You know you are much more violent than I am." With a small peck on her lips, he turned to leave, pretending to be frightful of the lavish young woman as she ran after him, out the door, and to their new high school.

"Students, please sit down," the teacher warned again before being forced to take disciplinary action. "We have new students today. Is this the impression we want to leave?"

Rukia leaned into Ichigo. "New students, eh? I wonder if it's boys. That makes me so excited!" She left reality to dream about her favorite idol coming to their school wearing a Chappy logo shirt. A small blush crept on her face as her greatest fantasy started to turn explicit.

"Rukia, let it go," Ichigo complained. New students always gave him a odd sensation, whether there was a logical reason or not. "New students are always a bigger hype than they turn out to be."

Little did Ichigo know, his speculation would turn out to be completely opposite. The two students walked in, a self-assured aura wafting around them, as if they were celebrities. Rukia and Ichigo stared in awe, taking in the two beautiful foreigners in front of them. The boy was tall, but muscular, and he looked relaxed leaning up against the chalkboard, hands buried in his pockets. His shirt collar was popped, but his jacket collar remained ironed and pristine. He glanced at the class in front of him, his sky blue eyes raking in the surprise plastered on the students' faces. His shaggy dirty-blonde hair fell softly on his face, giving him a shy but naughty look all at the same time. The girl beside was the complete opposite- her hair long and flowing loosely along her thin frame. The platinum blonde tint to her hair complimented her aqua eyes and tanned skin. She stood tall, despite her lack in height, and flaunted her improvisation to the school uniform she was wearing. She opened up her glossy lips to speak, but was interrupted by the teacher in front of them.

"Now class, this is Elle Cristiano and Ryan Bordeaux. They are exchange students from America!" Her enthusiasm was overwhelming and the exchange students gaped at her, wondering if everyone here was so starstruck over foreigners. "Please help them feel at home."

Elle immediately noticed a rare spot of orange towards the back corner of the classroom and her interest was automatically piqued. When the teacher dismissed them to their seats, she made her way back to the orange-haired boy slouched in his chair. _Something feels strange about him. It's like he has some sort of power to him- not of a soul reaper though- he's human._ She plopped down in the desk across from the boy and extended her hand to him. "Hi there! I'm Elle," she said. "And you are?"

He looked at her hand as if it was infected, sensing something strange about her, like she had thought before him. "Ichigo Kurosaki," he mumbled, taking her hand lightly in his, shaking it out of politeness.

"My, what a strong grip we have," she mused. "If it was any stronger, I'm afraid my hand would no longer be recognizable." She laughed at her attempt to jokingly break the ice, causing a small smile to find its way on Ichigo's face. Although she had a strange presence to her, she seemed harmless and not to mention, extremely good looking.

"Well, thank you," Ichigo replied. "Sometimes my own strength worries me."

She laughed. "So strong that you could easily beat me in a fight?" She flexed her muscles and gave him a death glare, failing in all attempts to frighten him.

"I'll hold you to that," Ichigo taunted. "Show me what you've got, sometime, alright?"

Elle smirked. "Oh I will." She turned to look at the courtyard below through the window. "I so will."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of it contents:)**

**Assassin's Dream**

**Chapter 3**

Ryan lounged at the kitchen table watching the local news on the small flat screen TV propped in the corner of the kitchen. The news reporter was discussing with a local government official about recent unnatural calamities, occurring in public view, without any apparent pattern in the time period in which they happen. Ryan studied the visualized images in front on him, making out that the damages caused were much like ones that the demons in America were responsible for. "Hm, must be those hollow things."

"Hollows?" Elle appeared in the room to take their dinner out of the oven when she heard Ryan speaking to himself. "Have there been instances lately with those things?" She strode over to the table and laid the plate of food before him, taking her seat across from him. She began to eat, motioning for Ryan to disengage from the TV to eat his food. He continued to stare at the TV, but she could tell in his eyes that he wasn't focusing on the news broadcast. "Hey, what is it?" She grabbed his wrist and gently shook it.

"Oh- sorry," he said. He immediately tensed up as a dense pressure was sensed a block away from their condo. "Do you feel that?" Elle nodded as they stood from the table together, and quickly gathered their concealed weapons resting on the wooden stand by the front door. "What do you think it is?" Ryan asked as they made their way around the block. "Hollows?"

"No," Elle replied to him, with a grim appearance. "It's that same feeling I got from that Kurosaki kid this morning."

Ichigo dashed out from the house immediately after he was separated from his human body, making his way to the small amount of reitsu that his ability, or lack thereof, let him sense. He came upon Rukia, standing, frightful, in between to other soul reapers. One had his sword drawn, his red hair drawn up into a ponytail. The other laid back against a lamp post, black hair slowly shifting back and forth with the wind. "-Ey, what is going on here?" He challenged the one standing closet to him- the red head.

The red head turned around and snorted at him. "And who are you? I've never seen you before," he questioned. "What squad are you from?" When all he got back from Ichigo was a snide remark, he readied himself for battle, but then noticed Ichigo's sword slung on his back. "Ha! Check out that oversized zanpaktou. Amusing." He could tell Ichigo wasn't impressed by his immature banter, so he kicked the tip of the sword so that it was facing his opponent rather than the cement sidewalk below him. No words were exchanged; just animalistic screams and the fight was off.

He couldn't believe it. He almost laid out the finishing blow, but now he stared wide eyed into the street ahead of him, as he felt the weight of his sword drop tremendously. Pain plagued his nerves and his entire body felt as if it had gone into flames. Ichigo slowly began his decent into the rough asphalt, mocking him for his weakness and insubordination. "You should have followed the note Rukia gave you," it chanted over and over again, driving him to insanity.

"You're slow, even when you're falling," the voice above him scolded. It wasn't the red head, who revealed his name as Renji Abarai; it was the one observing on the sidelines until he was drastically needed. He began to draw his sword that he had already re-sheathed after the last blow to the young soul reaper's chest. He swung down to finish off the already dying boy lying before him, but was stopped by the dual katanas of an unfamiliar face- the face of a teenage woman.

"You can stop now. I think he got the point," Elle said through clenched teeth. "If you would be so kind and leave, that would be great. Thanks."

The man looked at the young woman skeptically and removed his sword from the crossfire of the two warriors. He stepped back to analyze who she was and how he couldn't sense her approaching. "Who are you?"

Elle smirked to the man before her, and it then relaxed into a smile when she saw the amazing looks he possessed. "My name doesn't matter. I'm an exchange student from America, and you are?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki-Captain of Squad SIx of the Thirteen Court Guards," he replied, earning the reappearance of the smirk on Elle's face. "If you do not have any business here, I suggest you leave."

Elle yawned, scrutinizing his formality. "My goodness, so formal. I'm not much of a fan." She straightened up, her katanas disappearing into the rings she wore on the middle fingers on each hand. "Well, this was fun and all, but our dinner is getting cold. Farewell."

Byakuya stood, appalled, at the attitude of the woman. "I will not stand for this intolerance. Tell me your name and who you are." He readied his zanpaktou again, as he waited for an answer.

By this time, a young man had appeared beside Elle, sighing as he scolded her for her attitude. "I swear," he complained. "It's going to get you killed." He turned to face Byakuya with a genuine smile on his face. "I apologize for her. She's Elle and I'm Ryan, both first class assassins from America." His face became more serious as he took a defensive stance, a katana appearing from a silver bracelet wrapped around his left wrist. "Now, I do believe she asked you to leave."

Byakuya turned and motioned for Renji to create a senkaimon. "I don't have time for this mockery. Renji, Rukia- let's go." The three turned to make way through the wooden gates releasing light that illuminated the entire roadway. "Soul reaper; assassins- the next time I see you, I won't be as merciful."

As he turned to leave, Elle grinned and shouted to him. "Don't worry Mr. Byakuya, I would love to take you on!" She was left with a backwards glance from him, but it was not one filled with hatred and malice. He quickly looked upon her, his eyes showing curiosity and interest. "Ha, Ryan, looks like you have some competition." With that said, she spun around and headed back to her guaranteed ice cold dinner.

Ryan chased after her. "Wait, Elle! What is that supposed to mean?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Elle, you realize that you left that boy in the middle of the street didn't you?" Ryan questioned as the two cleared the table of their luke warm meal. He watched as she purposefully ignored him, sauntering into the bathroom to prepare a shower, and returning to fetch towels from the linen closet. "Elle, you heard me, correct?" No answer came from the girl, and she continued fidgeting with different household items laying about. Irritated, he strode over to the spacey young woman and backed her up against the nearest wall, his right hand holding his self strong over the girl lost in thought. He gently lifted his left hand to hold her chin, her eyes still darting around the scenery behind him. He leaned in closer in order to shroud the peripheral image surrounding him, hoping to at least grab some sort of attention. "Elle..."

"Hm?" Elle perked up and stared at the man above her, his eyes showing pools of worry. "I apologize. I heard you clearly. There just seems to be something extremely odd about that boy and the other he was fighting against. I'm just trying to get some sort of analysis of what they might be. They are so similar to us, yet so different." She jumped as she heard him chuckle, taking him hand off of her chin and the wall and wrapping them around her slim waist.

"You are just so cute when you are serious," he cooed, his voice growing dark with lust. He pulled her closer to him and laid his chin upon the top of her head, but immediately withdrew himself from her when he felt her violently shaking. He held her out at arms length and realized that her momentary removal from Earth was a form of her piecing together what they just saw, a way of speaking to fate, or so she says. "Elle, what's wrong?" No response. "Elle, listen to me," he said while attempting to bring her back to reality.

"R-ryan, we must go back and find the boy, Ichigo," she stammered. "Something is happening in the near future that might not only destroy this world, but the world of ours at home, and I believe he might have something to do about it." She took ahold of Ryan's hand as he led her towards the doorway.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked as they walked up to the roadway they were present at only minutes ago, spotting an odd looking man healing a young man with straight chin-length black hair they both recognized from class earlier that day. "Look, it's that nerd from class. Who's the guy healing him?"

Elle didn't get a chance to respond as the man working on the other's injury stood to take in the two strangers that had approached the scene around him. "Ah, you must be the two Uryu was talking about earlier. He was already excluded from the battle before the two of you arrived." He turned to Elle and acknowledged her, stepping closer to her and her male counterpart. "He also told me that a young woman was able to step in and block the finishing blow to Ichigo as well. You must be her." He held out his right hand, but his grip was awkward as he shook it, not familiar with the greeting custom of the Americans. "I'm Keisuke Urahara. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Elle scowled at the strange man in front of her. "Elle and that's Ryan," she replied ,gesturing back to the orange head still passed out on the pavement. "Would you please like to explain to me what that was earlier?"

Urahara smiled behind the obnoxious hat of his and motioned for Elle and Ryan to follow him. By that time, the other boy, Uryu, had left and was making his way back home. "Please allow me to explain at my shop, while I patch this boy up." He lifted Ichigo up in his arms and the two teenagers followed him to a psuedo-deserted shop. He led them inside, telling him to make themselves at home, while he left to supply aid to the injured boy and make the visitors tea. While Elle and Ryan made themselves comfortable, they were greeted by an extremely large male and two children, calling themselves Tessai, Uruu, and Jinta. The small boy joked about the two looking grotesquely foreign, causing Elle to defend herself, saying that in fact they were and that he was only jealous of her upmost beauty. The boy, Jinta, just laughed harder, noting that her tanned skin looked about the same color as Ichigo's hair.

Ryan couldn't help to laugh at that one. He latched onto her arm as she paraded out of the room in pursuit of the disrespectful child. "Elle, it's alright. He just doesn't know any better." She relaxed in his grip, as Urahara remade his appearance, carrying a batch of bandages and medicine in his arms.

"He should be waking up soon," the shopkeeper said. "I will debrief the both of you once he does. Please to do not be wary of spending the night." He disappeared again into a door at the end of the hallway as the two made their way in the opposite direction back to where Jinta was still joking about the two Americans.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elle awoke to the sound of screeching as a large ball of energy shot out from the deep chamber dug into the rough dirt of the hidden training ground under Urahara's shop. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she stretched her body upright into a sitting position. She searched to see where the source of light had gone and immediately bolted into defense as she saw Ichigo, or what she thought was Ichigo, breathing in unrhythmic patterns beside her. "Kurosaki!" she snapped, throwing herself towards him from her position on the ground. When he didn't react, she sat back down at his feet, her eyes pleading him to respond. "Kuro-"

"It's alright," Ichigo stated, breaking the mask that occupied the entirety of his face, resting the remainder of it upon his mess of hair. He looked down at Elle, her face trying to divert from the concern that she let slip earlier, back into the usual sly grin. He might have only known her for a few days, but he had already read her like a book. 'Possibly because she is so much like me,' he thought to himself. He reached his arm down to allow Elle to grab onto it, and lifted her off the ground, and she immediately found her way into his arms, her signature grin back on her face. "Gah! Why are you hugging me?"

"Well, Ichigo, to me it seems like you are the one hugging her," Urahara pointed out. He waved off Ichigo's scowl with a flick of his fan and chuckled when he saw the boy frantically shove the girl off of him. "Congratulations, you have now passed lesson two. You might actually have a chance of saving Rukia."

Elle turned to face Ichigo, and allowed her grin to become wider. "Of course, because I will be accompanying you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Looking Backwards into the Past, Hoping for a Brighter Future…**

The young preteen girl scowled into the mirror before her and clutched onto the bathroom sink counter, her white knuckles threatening to split apart if she were to increase the strength of her grasp. She felt the granite begin to crack under the pressure of the hold and released herself from it, not wanting to add more damages to her accumulating debt to the Assassin Council. She snorted when the group made their way into her mind and she lifted up her shirt, growling at the infinity symbol on her stomach she saw through the mirror. It was the mark she was born with; the mark she would hate her entire lifetime.

The Assassin Council believed in a prophecy. They knew nothing about their race other than the folklore that passed down through generations. They had no idea when their ancestors founded this power or how the rare recessive gene chose which newborn to infest. Children of families, whom for so long had no signs of being ridden with such a plague, would grow to develop frightening abilities, all which would be used for the greater good of the world. The greater good of the world- a philosophy pounded into the young Assassins. They would learn, breathe, and practice good nature, in hopes of them being raised into heroes, but these heroes could only protect mankind to a certain extent. They could only hope for a certain level of mastery, as the power of their race had so diluted over the centuries.

But even though the race had limits, there was one with limitless capabilities- the one whose mother would bear life to, years before the world's end. This being was known as the Infinite Prophecy. Bound to responsibility from birth, the one who possessed such great power was greatly monitored and went through harsher education than the rest, for the leaders of this clan feared that a betrayal of this almighty being would be a contradiction of its purpose. They feared that the one, whose responsibility was to protect the world, would be the one destroying it altogether.

The leaders soon forgot, though, that this girl was still only human. She possessed emotions and dreams like the rest of the human society. Because they were assassins, it did not grant them the right to be excused from a human-like life. They bore the same weight as a powerless human would, and most often ending up in a life surrounded by the powerless- husbands, wives, and children all being of this type. To their dismay, they left behind the assassin life in turn for something that was the only just decision. But as things always turn out, the one who wanted to lead a life of her own was bound by imaginary chains, mocking her every moment she saw these freed members, and how limitless they were. They might not be limitless in possessing great power, but they possess the limitless ability of choice, something by far more prevailing than anything else the world could offer.

So the girl sought for something she could call her own, and found that in music. A natural born singer, she rose above the Assassins and caught attention from an up and coming band. It was fate, or so she called it, that they were in desperate need of lead singer and happened to stumble into the local music venue the night she was set to debut. The band members, four boys finishing up their last in year high school, immediately flocked to her after the performance and asked her to join. She gratefully accepted it, knowing that she finally found her escape.

Her resignation caused uproar within the assassin civilization and the council hectically tried to persuade the girl to return. When the politeness did not issue a response, they turned to more unorthodox methods to retrieve the prophet, using bribes and promises instead of mere questioning. Still, she gave no inclination of wanting to remain with the clan and happily basked in the fame she had created for herself. The band she became lead singer of, BioHazard, was claiming their right to fame faster than anyone had expected, each one of their concerts becoming larger in attendance until the night, six months after the girl agreed to become one of them, a producer from Los Angeles stopped the five musicians, proposing to them a record deal.

The girl continued to defy the calls and pleas of the council, until one day, one of her father's colleagues and his son had come to visit them. The man, whom she was told to call Mr. Bordeaux, was a freed assassin, marrying a powerless woman and working under the girl's father. The son, as well, possessed such powers and was already, only a year older than the sixteen year old girl, working as a seated officer under the council. The boy was exceptionally gorgeous- tall, muscular, with dark blond shaggy hair. He sat, his back slouched lazily, fingers fidgeting with the rips and tears of his destroyed denim jeans, as the two older men engaged in polite conversation over coffee the girl's mother had delivered only a few minutes ago. He looked over to the girl opposite of him, sporting the same posture, and gestured that they slip out to have their own private conversation.

"I know why you are here," the girl snapped, not bothering to look at the young man leaning against her closed bedroom door. "And the answer is no."

The young man let out a breath of air and crossed his arms over his chest. "You do realize that you have no choice in the matter," he commanded as he moved his gaze on the floor to the girl in front of him, annoyed at her childish defiance. When he got no response from her he continued, "I understand that being bound by something so large is terrifying-"

"Please spare me the pity. You're just a normal assassin," the girl interrupted, narrowing her eyes in pure anger towards the man, still confidently standing in the way of her escape path from this suffocating conversation. She turned away from him in disgust, refusing to look at the smug expression now plastering his face.

"Normal, you say?" He asked, though a calm laugh, and lifted his shirt up only a few inches to expose a half-finished symbol on his lower abdomen. It was of the symbol the girl hated so much, the same one she herself wore, finished, in the same spot. The young man laughed gently at her expression, when she turned around to find what he was showcasing to her. "I'm nowhere near that. I'm the letdown of what you became a year later. I might appear normal, but I'm just as screwed up."

The girl's face softened as she made her way over to the young man, reaching her hand out to trace the unfinished birth mark, regretting any negative judgment she let befall on this man. She shivered when she felt his skin was cold, just like the personality he had expressed only moments ago. "I'm sorry," she said as she took her hand off of his stomach and placed it back down by her side. "I didn't ask for your name earlier."

"It's Ryan," he replied, grabbing the hand that was most recently touching his mark and holding it gently in his. "It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you, Elle."


	6. Chapter 6

**I Do Not Own Bleach**

**An Assassin's Dream**

**Chapter 6**

They were in. After a tentative short journey, they were in the Soul Society, ready to retake that person that captured Ichigo Kurosaki's heart only after a brief couple of months. They held on to dear life to one another, trying drastically to not be split up by the sheer force of their flashy method of entrance crumbling on around them. But, much to their dismay, brute strength would not allow them to stay together, and they were thrown in five separate directions; the duo of Ichigo and Ganju spiraling into a pit of sand, the dainty pair of Uryu and Orihime falling upon a transparent orange shield, Chad using him demonic arm to save him, Yoruichi landing on all fours, and Elle simply landing gracefully upon the compacted dirt ground under her.

Elle sighed as she began to brush of the dust collecting around her from the impact of her fall, a sneeze or two escaping her small frame. She quickly covered her mouth in attempts to silence the noise that threatened to escape, but was nonetheless futile as the noise carried to a large man not too far away. She turned to find the nearest hideout, but was stopped when a low grumble of "stop" halted any further movements she was about to take. "Perfect," she muttered to herself as she pivoted in her spot to face up the man who had stopped her.

She was left in awe, noticing the man of gigantic proportions in front of her, but immediately composed herself after taking sight of the purple collar and flamboyant personalized jewelry. "Intruder, today will be your last day," he bellowed, "for you have met Marechiyo Omaeda, lieutenant of Squad Two!" He unsheathed his sword and continued his speech. "What is your name girl? This way if I run into any of your companions, I can accompany them in mourning your death."

Elle smirked. "Mourning?" she asked. "The only death that anyone will be mourning is yours and the rest of this indecent place. The name is Elle, of the Assassins. Shall we get this started?" She held out her hands in front of her body, palms facing out, and yelled "Acido!" In an instant, dual katanas appeared in her hand, ready for battle.

"Well isn't that a neat trick," Omaeda mocked. "Crush, Gegetsuburi!" His zanpakto was then replaced with an oversized spiked ball, swinging from a long, metal chain. He made no hesitation as he rushed forward upon the girl, taking a swing from Gegetusburi.

There was no effort needed in Elle's part, as she swiftly dodged the wrecking ball. She reappeared behind the giant soul reaper and slashed upwards across the vast plain of his back. Omaeda cried in outrage, as he swung the ball around his body in a wave of fury, hoping to get at least one hit in. He was heavily disappointed as the small woman dashed in between his mountainous legs, again slashing and drawing ample amounts of blood from the battered giant. In exhaustion from the short battle, he dropped to his knees and began to plea for his life. Elle look upon him, baffled, as his demeanor changed so vastly from the confident one he showcased only minutes ago. In annoyance, she took the hilt of her sword, in attempts to shut him up, and slammed it in between his two sobbing eyes, satisfied as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious for a short while, allowing her enough time to make her way out of harms grasp.

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Meanwhile, as Elle continued her journey throughout the Soul Society, a captain's meeting was being held yards away in the lavish First Squad's barracks. "Does anyone have any idea of whose these ryoka are?" a deep voice echoed through the meeting hall. It belonged to an elderly man, elderly in appearance, but not in strength.

A thin built woman stepped out from the two, facing inward, lines of captains, and turned to face the older one, obviously the leader of this said group. "I may have an idea on one of them. I recently discovered that a woman passed through my Squad Two barracks and was able to beat my lieutenant, Omaeda," she informed. This earned a few quiet gasps from the spectators around her. She continued on, "I was able to locate the fight within the security video library. I can show it to you now, if you would like, Captain Commander Yamamoto." With a nod from the commander's head, she snapped her fingers and a digitalized image of the fight appeared behind her. She stepped away in order to give the commander a view of it, and went to study it for herself. 'My lieutenant has always been quite the weakling,' she thought to herself. 'There is no need to be frightful of this incidence.'

While the small captain thought to herself, another was beginning to slouch in disgust for not getting rid of this girl why he had a chance. Byakuya Kuchiki watched, helplessly, as the young woman disposed of the Squad Two lieutenant, without any effort at all. "Damn it," he said to himself, earning a glance from another captain beside him.

"Have you encountered this girl before, Captain Kuchiki," the other captain snickered. The captains all removed their glances from the digitalized fight to Captain Kuchiki, who was hiding his inner turmoil behind the infamous mask he always wore.

"Is this true, Captain Kuchiki?" the captain commander asked, trying to find a glint of emotion in the other man's face, but gave up when he received nothing.

Byakuya sighed as he took a step forward, meeting the gaze of the captain commander. "I met her in the real world when I went to fetch the offender, Rukia Kuchiki, but saw no apparent threat within the girl. I deeply apologize for my lack of judgment. She seemed to have no relation with the other humans I met and disposed of, so I did not foresee her traveling with them to the Soul Society," he stated, purposefully leaving out the obvious interest he held in the girl. He shook all thoughts of that out of his head, and mentally scolded his self for even holding any kind of infatuation in her. A nobleman had no business in conversing with a human girl, especially one as disrespectful as her. "But now that I recall," he continued. "She had a partner in the human world with her. It doesn't seem that he is here with her now."

"Well, we will just have to assume that he is with another group of the ryokas, until we can prove otherwise," the captain commander informed. "For now, we will delay any punishment against Captain Kuchiki, as we prepare for full war against these ryoka. Understood?" He noted nods from all the captains as he continued. "Very well, this meeting is adjourned. Please return to your respected squads and inform them of possible encounters with these intruders."

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Byakuya slaved over his stacks of paper work, as he tried to put the meeting out of his mind. Upset as he was, he couldn't allow it to bother him in any way. If he had to take the girl out himself, he would, and without any remorse. This thought, though, only led to others, and he tried to piece together what drove him to his interest. He only met with her once, and was rather displeased by the massive amount of disrespect she displayed for the world. He concluded that it was a small interest in the fact that she was able to wield a sword, despite being human, and showing no leaks of spiritual pressure. Indeed, this alone made her very interesting, and his brash personality, that he has kept hidden away for so long, returned for only a moment, as a smile formed from his thoughts.

These thoughts, though, were interrupted, when he felt a presence looming over by his window. There, lounging on the window sill was the woman that currently plagued his thoughts, a huge grin across her face.

"It's good to see you again," she cooed, "Byakuya Kuchiki."


	7. Chapter 7

**An Assassin's Dream**

**The Parable of the Mountain and the Crown**

"What do you think you're doing here?" Byakuya questioned the woman sitting on his window. He moved his had to the hilt of his sword and prepared to attack, but was stopped when the woman serenely lifted her hand in order to voice that she was only here on peaceful terms.

"I have only come here to apologize for my brash behavior in the human world," Elle replied. She lifted herself off of the window sill and went to sit down on the desk beside the stoic captain. "I am normally not that rude upon meeting strangers," she continued as Byakuya began to relax beside her. "I guess you could say I felt threatened. It's not everyday you see ghosts preparing to decapitate one of your classmates."

Her laugh was warm, and Byakuya felt himself soften under the light-heartened sound of her voice. He knew he should dispose of the invader, but felt himself not compelled to. Instead, he began to engage in conversation with her- something he had not done with anyone for years. "You said you were an exchange student from America. What brought you to Japan?" His heart clenched when he saw the great sadness that was cast upon her eyes, threatening to draw water from the deep recesses of her body. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

He was cut off by Elle placing a hand upon his- a gentle and warm gesture. "It's alright," she soothed. "I came here under orders from my commander to investigate strange spiritual pressure present in this area. The council was ominous of a vision he had of a 'world's end.' My partner and I are the strongest of the assassins, so it was only natural that we were sent."

"But you are so young, how are you already more powerful than your elders?" Byakuya asked, bewildered that the teenage girl was able to surpass those many years her senior. His face melted into shock as the girl lifted up a small portion of her shirt and presented a birth mark in the shape of the infinity symbol. "What is that?"

Elle merely laughed at his reaction and released her hold on the hem of her shirt. "This is what decided my life, just like your lineage decided yours." She continued to laugh as he tried to force his self back into a calm, cold demeanor. "I guess you could say that you and I are quite similar." She sighed and leaned in close to the captain before her, her elbows resting on her knees, so she could support her position. "Byakuya, how are faring with the execution of your sister?"

The captain jolted back in shock as she bluntly asked him of Rukia. He couldn't find the words to express what he felt, so he scoffed and reverted back to his cold gaze. "What makes you think I care about such a trivial matter?"

"And what makes you think I can't see the personal battle within your eyes?" Elle replied. She leaned back away from the shocked man, fighting with all his might to hide his emotions. "Byakuya, can I tell you a story?"

"I'm sure you won't take no for an answer."

She laughed. "You got that right." She threw her back for a second, lost in thought, as she swung her feet back and forth in rhythm to the tapping of her fingers. "Alright then, I'm going to tell you the parable of the mountain and the crown."

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**The Parable**

Once upon a time, there was a young man, who had recently turned of age to lead his colony. But, in order to do that, he had to prove himself worthy of the crown, in a test of strength, endurance, and will. By doing so, he would then be called King and would have absolute right over the colony.

So, upon the early rising of the sun of his eighteenth birthday, he was taken to a mountain. It was the highest mountain in all of their territory- one filled with savage beasts and frightening landscape. But the boy, full of personality, wasn't scared. He laughed it off like it was only a small feat. With a smile upon his face, he turned away from his elders, and began his journey up the mountain.

Now, at the peak of this mountain, laid the crown. At the highest point of verticality, it hung, in hopes that its master will make it to him, unscarred. For many years before him, the finishers of this mountain quest would no longer be the men that would play and laugh at the summit of this peak; instead, they would be made of stone, possessing nothing more than a human body.

The boy began his trek and only after a few hours, a strange beast approached him. The beast said to him, "you will only be able to pass through here, if you give me one thing." The boy asked what it was and the beast told him, "your smile- for a king can never show that he is pleased." The boy, thinking it was no big feat, handed over his smile, and went upon his way.

After some time, another beast halted him and wouldn't allow him to pass without giving something up. The boy asked again what he wanted and the beast told him, "your laugh- for a king can never bring humor into politics." The boy, thinking this was no large feat, handed over his laugh, and went upon his way.

A third and fourth beast had stopped the boy and he was stripped of his sadness and his grief. The boy, ecstatic that he would no longer have to feel such feelings, attempted to smile, but was only responded to by immobility. Confused, the boy went onwards, ignoring what he just experienced.

Another beast approached him and ordered him to give him his ability to love. When the boy asked him why he needed to give this up, he was told, "for a king has to marry a woman from another royal family, for she might not be the woman he genuinely has feelings for." The boy, thinking this was no big feat, handed over his entire heart, and told the beast to inform the rest of this gift.

A final beast approached him and asked for his opinion. The was confused and asked him of what he needed his opinion on. The beast only laughed at the boy and said, "no, I need your capacity to hold and voice an opinion- for a king no longer can follow his beliefs; he has to follow the law." The boy, thinking this final test was no big feat, handed over all of his beliefs, and went upon his way.

And so, the boy reached the peak of the mountain, and saw the crown. He wanted to jump for joy with a huge grin on his face, but failed nonetheless. He wanted to laugh at his failure, but no sound would come out. He wanted to succumb to sadness and grieve over the loss, but felt nothing. So, to feel anything, he tried to think of loved ones, but he couldn't think of even one. He felt a glint of anger, and wanted to yell at the beasts and give him a piece of his mind for taking from him, but no syllables would form in his head. So he hung his head in defeat, and took the crown from the peak before him.

The crown saw, again, what a prince had become, and cried for the boy, as another soulless man took the role as king. The crown looked to the boy and said, "my boy, pride is a wonderful gift to have, but when it begins to eat away at your soul, it becomes your worst enemy. Is the pride of obtaining myself, worth losing yourself in the process?" The boy looked towards her in response, but no words or expressions became from him, as he no longer was the playful and loving boy from the summit. He was a soulless man, another king only able to relish in the memories of his life stolen by the beasts of pride.

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Elle leapt of the desk as Byakuya sat, contemplating on the story she just told him. She turned to him, and his attention fell to her eyes, as she smiled softly, as if she was saying, "think of this, for this is what you will become." She left to escape out the window she came in through, but was stopped by a strong grip on her wrist. She turned to see Byakuya still seated in his office chair, his eyes pleading to her.

"Elle, stay," Byakuya said, standing up from his chair. He retained his grasp on her wrist and pulled her towards him, wrapping his free hand around her waist. "I would like to thank you for what you just have done for me," and with that said, he lowered his self to her and melted his lips upon her, his arms encircling her, bring her closer to him. He broke away for a moment and looked deep into her eyes. "Thank you for returning what I had lost so long ago." With Elle's smile, he took ahold of her face and brought them together once more.


	8. Chapter 8

The Assassin's Dream

A Psuedo-Man Fallen by a Sociopathic Sword

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Elle finally made her way out of the Kuchiki manor. She laughed at how, in any other circumstance, this would be completely taken out of context, but this night was only filled with wonderful conversation as the two pushed down their walls, making any bystander watching the scene extremely nervous at the outlandish nature of the two mask ridden personas. Even so, the normally nonvocal Byakuya Kuchiki told Elle of his past, and his conflicts of mind, genuinely thankful for the kind understanding of the girl sipping her tea across from him. But as Elle continued to slip through the shadows, she stopped abruptly, remembering the kiss that led the two of them to talking all night long, and then of Ryan. She couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal that swept over her. Even though they weren't officially together, they still had a very strong possessiveness with each other. And oh, how that one kiss, would lead to a gigantic fall between the two assassins.

She was taken out her thoughts when she saw two men looming through the darkness. They both sported captain haori's, as Byakuya did earlier, and snuck through alleyways as if they did not want to be caught out at this hour of the morning. Figuring that the two looked suspicious, Elle began to follow the two captains, giving her vision over to the lens that formed over her eyes, allowing her to see everything in its material form- all illusions would have little to no effect on her. She laughed to herself. "That damn science department is of some use, I guess."

She continued into the horizon until she saw the two men vaulting a sword upon a wall of great heights. Confused, she ordered the technology of the lens to show her the illusion, and there on the wall was the dead form of a man, impaled by the very sword thrown up onto the wall and by the very man that threw that same sword. "What the hell?" she asked herself, trying to grasp some kind of idea of what the two men were trying to accomplish. Then it donned on her- "Wait, are these two perhaps the ones that the commander warned us about?" Watching the two retreat from the fake death scene, she decided to continue following them.

They finally reached a tremendous wall, such as the one surrounding the Sereitei, which house a large meeting hall, decorated in lavish architecture. It wasn't until they were finally inside that one of the men noticed her. "Hey, Captain Aizen," he said. "Looks like there's been someone following us."

"Yes, your right, Gin," the man, Captain Aizen, replied. "Why don't you show yourself, girl."

Elle withdrew her breath and immediately thought of fleeing, but thought otherwise and put on a facade of false bravado, swinging around the wall that separated her from the two men, and at last she was face to face with them. "I apologize for so rudely following you," she smirked, "but I just could not pass up meeting the two men who put up such spectacle out there to watch. I must know how you made that sword look exactly like you, Captian Aizen, was it?"

The captain stood his ground and plainly stared at her, trying to make some sense of the situation. "So you mean you could see through that illusion?" he asked.

"As plain as day," Elle replied, slinking back against the wall and folding her arms across her chest in confidence. "You're lucky that I'm not weak like you soul reapers, or you might just have a few on your case when they see that in a couple hours, but I'm assuming that they will completely fall for it?"

"You're right about that," the snake like man, Gin, spoke. "Captain Aizen, here, has the power to induce full hypnosis. All of them are under it! But you could see the illusion without being put under it. Now that's quite the talent you got there!" He began to circle around Elle, who had resumed standing away from the solid surface, his once closed eyes fully taking in her presence. "Hey, Captain Aizen, think we could offer her a deal or something?" He looked towards the other man, the infamous smile of his back on his face. "She could be of use to us."

"Hm, Gin, you might be right," Captain Aizen replied to his suboridinate. "Just who and what are you?" He turned back to Elle, waiting for her answer.

Elle proceeded to move closer to the men, extending her hand out to the man known as Captain Aizen. "My apologies, I should have introduced myself sooner. My name is Elle, and I'm an assassin from America."

Aizen was taken slightly aback when he heard her introduction, but nevertheless proceeded to shake her hand. "An assassin you say? My, it's been a long while since I've heard of that race. Nobody really knows anything about them." He smiled as Elle nodded her head in agreement. "Now for us, my partner here is Gin Ichimaru, and I am Sosuke Aizen." He walked forward so he was standing next to Elle and turned to face Gin. Placing his hand as a gentle gesture upon her shoulder, he leaned down towards her ear and whispered, "what would you think about joining us in ruling over a new world?"


End file.
